Owl and Bear

A MAGICAL TALE OF OUR WEDDING CEREMONY

Here is a magical tale of how a potent seed planted many moons ago, flourished into a beautiful day filled with love, sacred vows and a spiritual union, ushering two world traveling souls to show up in Thailand for their wedding day.*A friendly tip: You may want to take a moment to brew a tea, or beverage of your choice and settle in for the telling of this story. For an even greater visual experience, you may choose to go directly to our home page at owlandbear.org, where each photo will expand to a larger view, simply by clicking on each one. ENJOY!

“And a spirited away we go…”

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“That is splendidly wonderful news! How interesting that your marriage should be waiting for you in Thailand all this time,” says our dear friend Pausha in response to our surprise wedding announcement. Yes, interesting indeed. You see, ours was a wedding ceremony naturally and spontaneously unfolding right before our very eyes. A magical and serendipitous chain of events were set in motion by a potent seed planted several moons ago. While our plan to marry in Thailand was of no great surprise to us, the ceremony itself was literally designed overnight. At “Godspeed,” I might add.

One relaxing evening in Chiang Mai, my fingers dance among the letters and keys of my beloved ipad. Chiang mai is known for it being a hub for the healing arts. So, with this in mind, I embark on a virtual adventure. Tap, tap, click, click, I am in. My fingers dance right into the cyber den and home of the well known popular destination, Wild Rose Yoga Studio. Intrigued by the colorful and well designed website, my eyes scan the page. Intuitively, I scroll over the information. I move my index finger to the right and then to the left, up and down and stopping at a sparkling gem appearing to the right of the screen. It reads, Nick Harris, reiki master teacher. I click on the link. A friendly face appears. Drawn by the energy I feel from his profile page, I feel inspired to reach out.

I see that Nick offers a Reiki Master Level Teacher’s Training course, so I inquire. A beautiful exchange naturally unfolds. Followed by another. We both feel a divine cosmic connection, instantly. Within just one email exchange, we know we are to meet. A few days pass. An intuition and a gentle nudge inspires me to reach out to Nick once more. This time, I send out an email of a different nature, than the emails before. I graciously write a letter asking Nick if he knows of anyone in Chiang Mai that officiates weddings. Overcome with a rapid beating of the heart and a strong feeling of “woman’s intuition, I await his reply.

The next morning I receive an email in my inbox from Nick. “Wow, the universe ceases to amaze me. I have not advertised yet, but I perform the rites to conscious weddings and I would be honored to officiate yours.” Upon this most serendipitous news, I feel a pulse of energy rushing up and down my spine. Tyler is napping and I barely can contain my excitement.

Just as I hear a stirring in the room, I look to see if Tyler is awake. His eyes are open. He looks half awake, at least. I go to him to share the news of all that just transpired. Tears welling up in my eyes, and with a full body yes, I share with the upmost enthusiasm. Tyler can see that something is aligning quite naturally here. So, mutually, we agree to move forward.

I reply to Nick right away and we schedule a date for the three of us to meet. “Let’s meet at Pun Pun,” Nick invites. Pun Pun is the organic vegetarian restaurant at Wat Suan Dok. Pun Pun grows all it’s own vegetables at their local farm just outside of Chiang Mai. “Great, we will see you there,” I reply.

A week later we meet Nick at Pun Pun. We look out for Nick at the entrance of the restaurant. We find each other right away. A sweet connection is made within seconds upon meeting. We order tea, pad Thai, vegetable spring rolls and various other Thai culinary delights. We enjoy a meal together getting acquainted. Naturally and with ease, a conversation begins to proceed about potential wedding plans.

I must interject here for just a moment to share that in the passing of time between our initial emails and our meeting here today with Nick, Tyler and I are greatly considering a new direction for our wedding ceremony. We have been warming up to the idea of creating our own ceremony at Wat Umong, (an amazing temple with caves in the forest), with the intention to receive a blessing from a monk to follow.

Ok, now with that being said we make the conscious choice to keep the door open, and to listen for what truly feels right for the both of us. Taking all this one step further, I ask Nick what would be the next steps to follow if we were to ask him to officiate. Nick replies, that the first thing we would do is to script the vows and to choose a location for the ceremony. One that would provide a sacred space and safe container. A space that would be free of interruptions.

I then venture to ask Nick if he has any insights as to what he sees for our ceremony, as he is quite the intuitive type. A fresh perspective is greatly appreciated here. Nick answers with great confidence that he sees seven people at our ceremony.

Hmmm….Seven is, truly, a powerful and sacred number. Yes, seven feels like the absolute perfect number for the ceremony. Who would that possibly be, though, as we are new to Chiang Mai. We have met several people, however to invite them to our intimate wedding of seven. Whew! We do have two lovely candidates in mind. We have been holding space for our new friends Elena and Jon to be there if a ceremony is to unfold. They have no idea of our plans to marry, at this point. Elena and Jon are our friends from Hawaii who will be arriving in Chiang Mai just a few days away. In fact, we will be staying in their home on Maui, as they travel throughout Asia. I met Jon for a quick moment while on Maui, however I did not have the honor of meeting Elena just yet. Tyler met Jon at a wordpress meet up on Maui and became fast friends. Tyler met Elena a few days later over coffee.

As our meal is coming to completion with Nick, ideas are percolating. Our bellies are full, and Tyler and I have much to discuss. We thank Nick for his time and that we will be in touch in the next day or so. In the meantime, Tyler and I have some choices to make. We find a tree to sit by at the wat (temple) to discuss our options. The big question of the moment is, “Does it feel important to have someone officiate and witness our ceremonious wedding vows or do we create our own ceremony as we have been talking about. For here in Thailand we already did the paperwork and would be legally married in just under a week.

I feel a stirring in my belly. A twist and a turning, a rising into a crescendo. I turn to Tyler and say with an all knowing feeling in my gut, “Yes, it feels important that we are witnessed in our union, otherwise our ceremony and sacred marriage may not feel real or complete. It will be much more powerful this way,” I add. Ok, I trust your intuition.” Tyler, says. “That feels good to me, too. Now, what?”

For the next several hours, we allow some time and space to integrate all this, before going ahead with our plans. I feel an opening, here. So, I sit in meditation to see what that just might be. The Universe is conspiring. I can feel that. I scan the akashic field and right there before my blue gray eyes, I see another bright and shining star aligning. I recall a moment in our exchange with Nick when an additional and very interesting seed was planted.

“I would love you to meet my friend, “the monk,” offers Nick. Our ears perk up. We listen as Nick paints a lovely picture. Nick shares that “the monk,” has a beautiful healing center right outside the city of Chiang Mai. He continues to share that The Lanna Yoga Healing Center is home to some of the most powerful crystals on the planet. We learn from Nick that “the monk,” who’s name is Guy, worked for Apple Inc. as a chip designer once upon a time. When Guy chose to embark further on his spiritual path, he chose to cash in his chips, so to speak, and invest the money into beautiful crystals and a healing center in Chiang Mai. The name of the healing center is LANNA YOGA HEALING CENTER. Without hesitation, we tell Nick that we would love to meet “the monk.” Great, I will tell him you are coming.”

Back at our apartment in Chiang Mai, several hours following our lunch with Nick, I send out a quick email to Nick. Not wanting to put the “cart before the horse, or greatly imposing, I take the leap of faith to take a chance of this intuitive inquiry. “I have an idea,” I offer. “Any chance that both you and “the monk” would like to marry us?”

An email follows. Nick replies with excitement. “Perfect. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.” Let me get ahold of Guy. We can have your wedding ceremony at the healing center. “Excellent, I reply.” Let me know when you talk to Guy, so Tyler and I can hire a taxi and have a visit.

A text, email, and a taxi ride away, we follow the twist and turns of the road leading to the doorsteps of Lanna Yoga Healing Center. Finding the center is like finding a needle in a haystack. Without a detailed map or being blessed with strong intuitive capacities, it could potentially be quite the feat of accomplishment to arrive here. We show up just 5 minutes past our agreed upon time. The date is Friday December 20th.

Two sculpted cobras statues hold court at the entrance. Blending in so naturally, I almost miss their earthly presence. Out steps Guy onto the steps. “Glad you made it.” Guy shares with us that those that are meant to find the center, will. Some get lost along the way and never make it here at all, while some will drive around for hours, finally reaching the steps to the center much, much later.

Guy invites us in and a swift connection is made. Scanning the room of the Lanna Yoga Healing Center, my eyes catch a gem of light sparkling in the center of the room. There rests a beautiful round shaped clear quartz crystal. This is an extraordinary crystal with exquisite beauty. The pure light filled round crystal ball has a pyramid frame encased around it. The pyramid serves as a vehicle for channeling love, light and all inspired beyond the sacred space of the room, reaching the earth, the cosmos and Beyond with the simple gesture of intention.

While my awareness is captivated by the presence of the stunning crystal, I turn to notice Tyler gravitating towards the brilliant computer station where Guy offers his creative work. Guy, who was once ordained as a monk, has chosen his own unique spiritual path. While he commits to a devoted spiritual practice, he also pioneers creative projects into the world. You see, monks in Thailand express their spiritual nature in various ways and forms. Some are official ascetic monks for a short time, as others choose to take the vocation for life. While some monks renounce all worldly possessions, and live a life of renunciation others choose to live in the world in ways that are of a spiritual nature, uniquely of their own. This is the path Guy has chosen as “a monk.” And, he does it so beautifully.

Art, altars and musical instruments fill the space. Sun beams cascade, casting rainbows of light across this mystical and expansive space. Tropical plants and fruit trees sparkle beyond the large glass windows. Guy takes us by surprise and gets right to the point. “I have a question for the two of you. “What is the significance of the number 22 for you?” Guy brings it back into our awareness that December 22nd is the first date we requested for our ceremony. I chime in right away. “22 is my lucky number, astrologically. I add, that The number 22 is also the number I saw for our wedding date, just two days ago, when Tyler and I dropped a coin into the slot of the boar statue outside one of the wats (temples). The boar is the Chinese astrological sign for the both of us, as we were both born in 1971.” Tyler simply smiles and listens. He seems to know where this is going.

“You know, 22 is a master number,” Guy offers. It feels that the 22nd is a significant date for you two and you may want to consider having your ceremony on that date, after all.” Our ears perk up. WOW, that would be in just two days from today! We take a moment to really let it soak in. It must have been the look on our faces, or the bright new vibe in the room that inspires Guy to carry forward with an outstanding invitation. Guy offers for us to have the ceremony here at the center and would like to hold the space energetically for us, while offering a Reiki Attunement as Tyler and I align our energies into our brand new sparkling spiritual union and sacred marriage. Yes, Yes and Yes to that!

This invitation sounds great to both Tyler and I, as we do a visual and kinesthetic check in with each other. Simple, casual, natural, spontaneous and fun is what we are looking for here. Now as this all resonates greatly with the three of us, there is still one more person to consider. What about Nick? Nick is our chosen officiate for our ceremony and he will be on holiday, on this most auspicious day.

The stars are now aligning swiftly, so naturally we accept the invitation of our wedding ceremony being just two days away. This inspires a quick email to go out to Nick. I fill him in on all that transpired with our meeting with Guy today.

An enthusiastic reply dances into my inbox from Nick. “It seems that the 22nd is the clear choice of day for you! That is ok, I can make it work – and, course, I would naturally still love to officiate your vows for you!” You can only imagine how honored and humbled Tyler and I feel in this moment to have two beautiful souls choosing with great clarity and joy to support us in any way we chose for our wedding ceremony. Great. Settled. December 22nd it is. The ceremony will begin at 2pm. It’s official.

I share with Nick that this ceremony will be of a casual, natural and spontaneous nature and that he need not plan a thing. Simply show up, and Tyler and I will design the details of the ceremony. I send Guy an email asking if Yoshiko would perform a tea ceremony for us. A text comes in. “Yoshiko is happy to do the tea ceremony tomorrow. See you then, ready for 2 on 22 and all in harmony and tea with tea candles.”

This is now the turning point at which everything seems to come in with a bang and at “lightning speed.” Imagine the intensity behind the scenes, as we are to marry in just under two full days. We have the rest of today and tomorrow, Saturday, to be ready to marry on Sunday. While this ceremony is intended to be of a casual, natural and spontaneous nature, there is still much to consider. From what to wear, to how to get the word out to our family and friends. Not to mention, designing the flow of the ceremony. We agree to skip all the initial calls and send out one mass email celebrating our announcement of marriage to all our immediate family members. We then get the word out to some of our friends, while reaching out to Facebook to deliver the news to more of our beautiful friends and family.

Tyler sends out a quick text to Elena and Jon, our friends from Hawaii who just landed in Chiang Mai after 35 hours of travel to save the date as they will be the two souls to complete the circle of seven for our wedding ceremony.

and alas’….this is the story of how our wedding day came to be. What took 17 years to wombmanifest, came in at “Godspeed!”

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Tyler and I both feel so blessed in countless ways by how our wedding day came to be. The forces of the Universe naturally and spontaneously mingled together to create an extraordinary series of divinely inspired orchestrated events. All we had to do was say Yes to all the invitations and step right into our new life together.

Our wedding ceremony/spiritual union took place one day following the Winter Solstice, on Sunday, December 22, at 2 o’clock. A pivitol shift took place in the ceremony occurring at exactly 2:22, as we enjoyed a silent meditation as a group.

LANNA YOGA HEALING CENTER is a 2 acre bio-organic fruit and vegetable farm. It is surrounded by rice fields and fruit trees. The Healing Center is a quiet and tranquil haven, while still being easily accessible from the city. To learn more about the center, visit Lannayoga.com.

Tyler and I both extend our love, gratitude and BIG THANK YOU’s to Guy, Nick and Yoshiko for their inviting presence and all the natural gifts that they brought to our wedding day!

Tyler and I would like to also offer a warm THANK YOU to both Elena and Jon Brown, for their beautiful and grounding presence at our wedding. They graciously accepted the invitation of completing our circle of seven. Thank you, Elena, for your spontaneous and loving gesture of capturing our special day on camera. We feel blessed and honored. What a gift not only to us, but to all our dear family and friends who were present at the ceremony “in spirit.”

I noticed that Jon picked up the camera and snapped a shot, too. They are both wonderful photographers!

If inspired, as I truly am, visit Elena Rego’s facebook page to see her other works of art. www.facebook.com/ElenaRego and www.foodpractice.com